4 ms·

Consider the possibility that he wasn't using shallow strawmen, and also consider that your comment might be an example of exactly what he's complaining about!

by three14 13y ago

Consider the possibility that he wasn't using shallow strawmen, and also consider that your comment might be an example of exactly what he's complaining about! (You don't actually have to agree, but you wouldn't have written your GP comment that way if you had really thought about it.)

boomlinde 13y ago
> Consider the possibility that he wasn't using shallow strawmen Let's have a look at the article again, then: If you are like everyone else on the Internet, your immediate response is "Whoever is saying that is obviously a racisty racist who loves racism! I can't believe he literally used the 'I'm not racist, but...' line in those exact words! The old INRB! I've got to get home as fast as I can to write about this on my blog and tell everyone I really met one of those people!" If a man thinks parts of the reason why some men are jerks toward women is because women actually are more likely to date jerks than people who are respectful, she can gleefully declare "You're a Nice Guy (TM) and therefore Worse Than Hitler (TM)!" and point and laugh. If those are indeed both truly representative and real anecdotes, feel free to correct me, but otherwise I don't see how they are more than just shallow strawmen. > also consider that your comment might be an example of exactly what he's complaining about! I did consider that, but I personally think that that it isn't, so maybe you could give me a hint as to how my comment embodies any of the tendencies described in the article. Consider that asking me to consider these things could be a way for you to suggest that they are true without having to resort to actual reasoning.
- frooxie 13y ago
  > otherwise I don't see how they are more than just shallow strawmen. Both examples seem really common to me, although slightly exaggerated for comic effect. It's extremely easy to find people who dismiss everything said after "INR,B" as racist — for instance, on Urban Dictionary whatever is said after it is DEFINED as racist: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=i%27m%20not%20racist%2C%20but%20.%20.%20 http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=i%27m%20not%2.... (I'll happily agree that very many things said after "INR,B" ARE racist, but it also seems obvious to me that if you have an actual non-racist point to make, lots of people are going to dismiss it if you start with "INR,B".)

by three14 13y ago

boomlinde 13y ago

> Consider the possibility that he wasn't using shallow strawmen Let's have a look at the article again, then: If you are like everyone else on the Internet, your immediate response is "Whoever is saying that is obviously a racisty racist who loves racism! I can't believe he literally used the 'I'm not racist, but...' line in those exact words! The old INRB! I've got to get home as fast as I can to write about this on my blog and tell everyone I really met one of those people!" If a man thinks parts of the reason why some men are jerks toward women is because women actually are more likely to date jerks than people who are respectful, she can gleefully declare "You're a Nice Guy (TM) and therefore Worse Than Hitler (TM)!" and point and laugh. If those are indeed both truly representative and real anecdotes, feel free to correct me, but otherwise I don't see how they are more than just shallow strawmen. > also consider that your comment might be an example of exactly what he's complaining about! I did consider that, but I personally think that that it isn't, so maybe you could give me a hint as to how my comment embodies any of the tendencies described in the article. Consider that asking me to consider these things could be a way for you to suggest that they are true without having to resort to actual reasoning.

frooxie 13y ago
> otherwise I don't see how they are more than just shallow strawmen. Both examples seem really common to me, although slightly exaggerated for comic effect. It's extremely easy to find people who dismiss everything said after "INR,B" as racist — for instance, on Urban Dictionary whatever is said after it is DEFINED as racist: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=i%27m%20not%20racist%2C%20but%20.%20.%20 http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=i%27m%20not%2.... (I'll happily agree that very many things said after "INR,B" ARE racist, but it also seems obvious to me that if you have an actual non-racist point to make, lots of people are going to dismiss it if you start with "INR,B".)